Destination Master Plan
North Myrtle Beach is a distinctive community that has steadily emerged as a thriving destination to thousands of visitors each year and continues to grow with new first-time visitors and people moving here as their permanent home. North Myrtle Beach is a growing community in part because visitors travel here throughout the year creating jobs for year-round employment. Nearly all our local businesses are impacted directly or indirectly by travel, tourism, and hospitality.
Destination North Myrtle Beach spent 18 months working on a destination master plan. The plan was developed with considerable community input. The destination master plan defines a shared community vision, 4 strategic initiatives for the implementation of the plan, and an implementation plan. The Destination NMB approved the plan during their regular meeting on April 27, 2023. Now, the work has begun to incorporate the implementation plan into the strategic plan for the organization and build support for plan components that are beyond the scope of Destination NMB.
The vision in the destination master plan states that in 2033 North Myrtle Beach will be a year-round family destination known for our collection of distinct neighborhoods and leadership in the care and protection of our beaches and natural areas. The newly adopted destination master plan includes four strategic initiatives:
- Develop year-round experiences, cultural, and event offerings
- Improve accessibility and connectivity
- Ensure economic and environmental sustainability
- Expand placemaking in neighborhoods
The Project
Destination North Myrtle Beach retained MMGY NextFactor to lead a process and develop a strategic and actionable long-term planning document that provides a conceptual layout to guide future growth and development in North Myrtle Beach. The Destination Master Plan includes research and analysis, inclusive community engagement and identifies roles and processes for destination management moving forward.
Our role as an organization is more than just increasing membership and attracting visitors. It’s much greater than that. We believe in our mission of advancing prosperity in North Myrtle Beach. We know this community is growing as seen by the increase of 26.4% in the latest census. And, we believe that we can plan for and attract the type of development our community desires by providing the framework by which our city leaders, elected officials, and community boards and organizations may collaboratively share in bringing to fruition.
Key Findings
The compiled data, along with key findings and recommendations, were presented to the Steering Committee in a series of four working sessions throughout the project. Taken together, the sum of all the engagement uncovered 10 key findings.
Guiding Principles
Guiding the year-long process were four key principles meant to ensure the needs of visitors, residents, businesses, the economy, and the environment were considered and planned for. These principles are not ranked in order of priority or importance. 
Next Steps
As Destination North Myrtle Beach doesn’t own the assets and experiences related to the visitor economy, and therefore, they cannot single-handedly move this Master Plan forward. While an implementation plan has been developed, outlining priority actions, partnerships and success indicators, their roles in the implementation of the Destination Master Plan will take several forms including:
With a collaborative, focused and original approach to the implementation of this Destination Master Plan, it will result in the growth of the visitor economy and its widespread benefits for the entire region. The visitor economy in North Myrtle Beach has unlimited potential and we’re excited to welcome more visitors to our great area!
